One of the dozens of people killed in the Sunday shooting in Las Vegas is from Maple Ridge, a former student at Thomas Haney secondary.
Jordan Seymour McIldoon, who worked at South Surrey’s Jacob Bros. Construction, died in the attack as a gunman shot down on a crowd attending a music concert that night, according to reports.
“You were one of the kindest, funny and most sincere guys I know,” said Alina Diaconu. “This is a tragedy and breaks my heart to see what the world has come to.”
Liam Wallace added: “It’s awful how someone could do such a tragic thing to a group of innocent people at a country concert.”
The latest figures from the shooting are that 58 people have died and 515 have been injured. Families looking to locate loved ones should call 1-866-535-5654.
READ: 58 killed in mass shooting in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said that the first calls came into the city’s police detachment just after 10 p.m. local time of “multiple shots being fire from the direction of the Mandalay Bay Hotel towards the Route 91 concert.”
The gunman had checked into a hotel on the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay and began spraying rounds into the crowd of 22,000. Police responded and a SWAT team broke into his room to find the gunman dead of suspected self-inflicted injuries
He has been identified by police as “Stephen Craig Paddock, as 64-year-old, Stephen Craig Paddock, a white male from Mesquite, Nevada.” Lombardo confirmed that gunman is now dead.
“We believe it is a lone wolf actor,” Lombardo said. They have located a person of interest in the case, Marilou Danley, who is believed to be the gunman’s girlfriend.
One off-duty Las Vegas police officer has been confirmed dead. Two on-duty officers are injured; one has minor wounds and the other is in stable condition.
Neil Lock, a Maple Ridge resident, and his girlfriend, Jana Rickerby, were in Las Vegas at the time, at the Luxor, the first hotel beside the concert.
“We were having dinner after the Cris Angel show and suddenly hundreds of people were running towards us screaming, ‘gunman gunman.’ We were escorted to the restaurant kitchen then into the basement for four hours,” he said.
“Finally, we were allowed to go at 3 a.m. and we were the first to go outside. It was so quiet and police with massive guns were telling us to go back inside,” he added.
“When inside, I was talking to a survivor who was dodging hundreds of bullets around him.”
Lock said it was scary.
“We’re still absorbing how close we were – we were out of lockdown at 5:30 a.m. and safely in our Freemont Street hotel by six.”
Lock said Freemont Street was on lockdown too.
“Roads were closed everywhere.”
B.C. Premier John Horgan has issued the following statement about the attack in Las Vegas and death of McIldoon.
“The senseless acts of violence in Las Vegas are horrifying and incomprehensible. Our hearts are with all those affected by last night’s shooting,” he said.
“Jordan McIldoon of Maple Ridge was among those who lost their lives. He was 23 years old. The flags at the parliament buildings in Victoria and provincial government buildings in Maple Ridge will be dropped to half-mast to honour him,” Horgan added.
“To Jordan’s family, and the family and friends of all those who have lost their lives, we offer our condolences and support.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the first responders, who put themselves in harm’s way by running toward gunfire in an effort to save lives.
“When dark acts seek to shake our faith in humanity, we look to those who have come forward to help. Their selfless acts of heroism are what build the strong and caring communities we all want to be a part of.”
In an address to the country, U.S. President Donald Trump called the attack “an act of pure evil” and added: “In moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one. And it always has.” He ordered flags flown at half-mast.
Police has completed a search warrant in Mesquite but Lombardo said that although items were recovered from the search, nothing of use has come up yet. FBI officers will be searching another property in northern Nevada associated with the gunman.
• Police say this remains an active investigation and the FBI is asking for anyone with videos or photos concerning the shooting to call 1-800-CALLFBI or (800) 225-5324. Victim advocates and trauma counselors are being made available to anyone affected by the shooting.
